Bae Juhyun thought back to her conversation with Chief Kim at the company, then briefly recounted it to Liu Xin’an.
The earlier points were within Liu Xin’an’s expectations, but this variety show...
"Yeah, it seems the company really wants to market our relationship as a couple..."
"Uh... isn’t this kind of thing bad for an idol? Is your company crazy?"
"I don’t know what the company means either, but judging by their attitude, maybe they want us to be like Hyeon’a and Kim Hyojong?"
This was definitely an area Liu Xin’an was clueless about.
He parked the car in front of the sidewalk, and during the red light gap, he threw a bewildered look at his girlfriend.
"You don’t know Hyeon’a and Kim Hyojong?"
"Well... simply put, Senior Hyeon’a and Kim Hyojong are a couple. Ever since they admitted their relationship in 2018, they’ve always appeared together in front of fans and never shied away from talking about each other."
When it comes to marketing couple relationships, you have to mention Kim Hyeon’a and Kim Hyojong. Although many fans were initially skeptical about their relationship, their lasting affection eventually silenced most of the criticism.
It’s undoubtedly a very successful marketing strategy, and the company’s idea is probably to let them replicate the kind of romantic relationship Kim Hyeon’a and Kim Hyojong have, while also making it acceptable to fans...
That’s how Bae Juhyun understood it.
"I see, weren’t they criticized?"
"More than just criticized, they were heavily bashed back then, especially Senior Hyeon’a."
"But now, not many people dislike them anymore, uh... except for their respective fans."
"Yeah, Senior Kim Hyeon’a is more famous than Kim Hyojong... so many of Senior Hyeon’a’s fans feel like... Kim Hyojong is out of her league. Anyway, it’s all kinds of weird comments that make people uncomfortable."
Personally, Bae Juhyun disliked those kinds of comments, especially when the couple seemed so affectionate but their fans were so... aggressive.
"I see... do you think there’ll be people saying the same about us if we’re together?" Find the newest release on novelꞁire.net
Liu Xin’an joked, successfully earning a disapproving glare from Bae Juhyun.
"What are you talking about, you’re not even in the industry, there’s no ’out of league’ nonsense. You can’t think that way, got it!"
What a joke, if her fans ever said Liu Xin’an was "out of her league," she’d want to crawl into a hole!
Fortunately, because Liu Xin’an wasn’t in the industry, this kind of so-called "matching status" issue hadn’t appeared among their fans.
"So... that Hyeon’a and Kim Hyojong, they participated in the variety show as a couple?"
"Hmm... will that help you?"
"Hard to say, we’re in similar situations but not entirely the same, so we can’t take Senior Hyeon’a’s case as a reference."
"Should I agree to it?"
Bae Juhyun fell silent, pursing her lips, and pondered for a long time before looking at Liu Xin’an with conflict in her eyes.
"How about... we ask Uncle?"
It’s best to let professionals handle professional matters.
After a smooth ride home, Liu Xin’an went inside first, but before he could head to the bathroom, his girlfriend held him back from behind.
"Where are you going? Call Uncle."
Liu Xin’an pointed to the bathroom, "At least let me go to the restroom first, okay?"
"Oh... right, go quickly."
After using the restroom, Liu Xin’an, feeling refreshed, sat beside Bae Juhyun. He took out his phone and first checked if his uncle was available. Before a reply came, his uncle called him instead.
"What’s up, is there a problem?"
Since they had just talked in the afternoon, Park Jinyoung easily guessed that Liu Xin’an must be facing some uncertainty.
His uncle’s laugh made Liu Xin’an a bit embarrassed. Luckily, they were family, so it wasn’t hard to speak up.
"Uncle, I wanted to consult you on something. If Juhyun and I participate in a show as a couple... would it be inappropriate?"
"Inappropriate? That depends on what aspect."
Since they were on speakerphone, Park Jinyoung’s answer stunned both Bae Juhyun and Liu Xin’an.
"To put it simply... if it’s a Red Velvet group show, you shouldn’t join in. But if it’s Irene’s solo show, you can appear occasionally... Ah, if you were under my management, this is how I’d arrange it."
With S-M’s media intervention, up to now, Liu Xin’an and Bae Juhyun, without any major scandals, generally received positive reviews.
But this positive feedback was based on Liu Xin’an not interfering with Bae Juhyun’s career development.
If Bae Juhyun put too much energy into appearing with Liu Xin’an, it would inevitably face backlash from Red Velvet fans.
Kim Hyeon’a was no longer a girl group member, so she didn’t have to worry about affecting others.
But Bae Juhyun couldn’t do that.
"I sort of understand..."
"So, S-M wants to push you two into a show? Isn’t it Irene’s idle period now? Participating in a show would be okay."
"Uncle thinks it’s okay?"
"Yeah, of course. But if I were S-M, I would choose to give you two a separate show instead of joining an existing one."
"Yes, a separate show. Xin’an, you’re ultimately not in the industry, lacking a consistent way for people to like you." Park Jinyoung got excited as if he were their boss, "Now people have a good impression of you. But if a show could highlight your personal charm and get more people beyond just your fans to like your chemistry with Irene... it’d be much better for you both."